Want to be an entrepreneur? Go to these schools

So you want to be an entrepreneur? The university you attend can certainly play a role in whether you succeed or not. PitchBook, a Seattle-based data and technology provider to the private financial markets, has compiled rankings for the third year running of the undergraduate schools across the globe producing the most venture-backed entrepreneurs.

The list extended to 50 schools, with the U.S. dominating the rankings. The only two international schools in the Top 20 are Tel Aviv University and Technion – both in Israel. On the whole, only eight schools outside of the U.S. ranked.

Some familiar faces topped the list, with Stanford, UC Berkeley and MIT occupying the same spots they did a year ago. Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell and University of Michigan followed, each moving up a spot. At No. 8 was the University of Texas, up two spots from last year, followed by Tel Aviv University, holding strong at No. 9 for the second straight year. Rounding out the first 10 was the University of Illinois.

The data compiled is from 2010 through the end of July 2015. (Photo: Pitchbook)

Though many schools appearing on the list need no introduction, PitchBook noted successful entrepreneurs can't just rest on the reputations of their alma maters. It's also a matter of what sort of personal connections you make while in school – the professors you bond with, what relationships you cultivate with your peers – that determines how far you go in the business world. So if you don't see your school on this list, fear not – you still have control over your own destiny.

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Zach Pontz
is a writer and photographer for From The Grapevine. In his spare time he likes to wander random cities.